Liberated
by Falconcry
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Karin Kurosaki is handing out chocolate on the streets of Karakura. When a long-lost companion comes to call, will she get the day she's been dreaming of or will his chilly demeanor spell an early end to their romance?


The morning was bright and cool, the winter gaining its final revenge in the chilly bite that hung in the air. Weak, watery sunlight hung like tattered ribbons through the thin gray clouds that covered the normally bright blue sky, casting the landscape below into a dull half-light. The grass underfoot rippled as a breath of wind swept through the dreary morning, scattering silver wakes on the surface of the indigo pond water. Gently rolling hills of green rose from the shores of the pond, and a dirt path cut through the grass like a serpent and wound its way up to where delicate stands of sakura trees ringed the small patch of natural beauty. Their deep brown branches harbored millions of tiny blossoms, filling the area with the muted, clean fragrance of spring. The creamy white flowers swayed faintly in the breeze, their amaranth pink hue gleaming when caught in a stray beam of skylight, but their fragile beauty was marred by the scene behind them.

A light rain had fallen earlier that morning, hence the overcast skies, and water pooled on the city's streets and sidewalks. Many Karakura citizens were outside despite the weather, enjoying the mild warmth that the day brought. Everywhere one looked there could be seen a couple: holding hands on the sidewalk, crossing the street, or simply sitting on the grassy shores by the pond. The sound of their conversation, sparkling with laugher and exclamations, could be heard faintly as the wind carried the sound of their voices.

Karin Kurosaki pricked up her ears as an especially loud male voice sounded from behind her from her seat on the grass. She casually turned her head to spy an older teenage couple on the path overlooking the lake. From what she could make of it the girl had just given him some kind of chocolate – par Japanese tradition – and he proceeded to draw her closer for a kiss. With a snort Karin pointedly turned back to the pond, wrapping her slender forearms over her shins as another slight gust of wind sent waves shimmering over its surface. Her green pullover hoodie provided ample protection from the weak breeze, and it wasn't the reason she shivered. Valentine's Day had been something of a big deal back when she and her two siblings were children. The whole family would pitch in the night before to make chocolate so that the girls could give it out to the boys in their class the next day. Her brother Ichigo would come home with boxes of chocolate, cram them all in the fridge, and then proceed to forget about them.

Karin almost smiled as she remembered a particular incident in the fifth grade when Ichigo had gotten so much chocolate that the weight had broken one of the racks in the fridge. She and Yuzu had found it funny, but their father Isshin made sure it was the last time Ichigo ever put his spoils in there. Now, it seemed that Valentine's Day was more of a day on the calendar to the Kurosaki family. While the family still prepared chocolate on the 13th, it was more to please their father's fervent will to adhere to tradition than anything else. As of last year, however, Ichigo was forever banned from the "privilege" because he had accidentally forgotten to add sugar to the mixture and the entire batch was ruined and bitter-tasting. Karin wondered if he had done it on purpose.

This year Valentine's Day had fallen on a Saturday, and to Karin's relief, she thought this meant she and Yuzu would be spared having to spend hours slaving away to make chocolates for ungrateful boys who appreciated the sweets more than the act. But their father had insisted, saying that it would be an unspeakable crime to skip the tradition. "Why, it would border on high treason!" He had begged for half an hour after that until Karin finally caved in. Early in the morning a disgruntled Karin found herself being shaken awake by Isshin and told to get ready quickly. When she queried as to why, her dad had merely laughed, "To give out chocolates, of course! The early bird gets the worm. You know, when your mother and I first met…" In under half an hour Karin had executed a rushed shower and was out the door with half of her breakfast in her stomach and the other half in her free hand, the other weighed down with a massive bag of chocolates.

Begrudgingly and cursing her overenthusiastic father under her breath, Karin had spend the first half of the day handing out small packages of homemade chocolate to both male and female recipients who almost always accepted with a smile and a sincere thanks. Now her bag was more than three-fourths empty and was lying beside her as she took a well-deserved rest. Karin looked over her shoulder at a small café, the cozy warm interior filled with young couples enjoying an afternoon together. While the thought of food was more than welcome to her growling stomach, she simply refused to walk in there and be the only one without a date. Unsure if she was merely being stubborn or if it was a matter of personal pride, Karin sighed and closed her eyes, drinking in the aroma of the cherry blossoms mingling with the lingering scent of rain.

"Hey." The sudden sound of a rough, disinterested voice behind her made her jump. She snapped open her eyes and whipped her body towards the source. A white-haired teenager stood on the slope above her, staring back at her with emotionless turquoise eyes, and her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of him.

"T-Toshiro!" He met her greeting with a curt nod of his head and with a limber grace that Karin envied strode to stand beside her. With his hands shoved into his pockets the Shinigami gazed up at the sky, his face hidden from view as Karin looked up at him. Her memories raced into remembrance, recalling that how he had helped her and her elementary friends win back the practice field from a gang of middles school students in a soccer match. His prowess and speed were awe-inspiring and without a doubt inhuman, and Karin had been floored by his skills. Then she discovered that he was a Shinigami, just like her brother, when a Hollow appeared on the field and attacked the players, but Toshiro defended them and defeated the monster. As Karin could see spirits she could perceive him in his human and Shinigami forms, a fact which he said impressed him. Not many Humans were spiritually aware to that degree.

Toshiro noiselessly sat down next to her without so much as a glance in her direction, sitting nonchalantly while retaining an air of quiet authority about him. He made no attempt to converse with her and instead continued staring out at the pond. A prick of annoyance disturbed the pleasant surprise that Karin felt at his appearance. _Isn't he going to say anything? _She wondered, unable to look away from his stoic profile a beam of sunlight glanced off his young, handsome features, touching the edges of his hair with silver. Karin nervously played with the hem of her jeans, hurriedly casting about for something, anything, to say to him. Finally deciding, she opened her mouth, but her stomach beat her to the punch and let out a soft growl. She felt her cheeks ignite with embarrassment but Toshiro pretended not to notice; she silently thanked him for that.

Karin swallowed hard and tried again. "So… what are you doing here?" A few moments of silence passed without Toshiro even looking her way to acknowledge that she had said anything.

"I'm off duty." Was the simply reply.

_Is that it? _"Oh." Karin tried for a smile but failed, the friendly gesture dying in the presence of Toshiro's apathetic attitude. She bit her lip and looked away; following the Shinigami's flat stare out to the pond. Silence draped over the two for a long period of time. The sky was beginning to clear as the gray clouds thinned, warm light spilling out from behind them and flooding the air with color. Everything brightened and grew clearer with the reappearance of the sun: the dark waters of the pond flashed in the ever-shifting beams of radiance, and the cherry blossoms shone with their petite grace. Even the buildings of the city seemed to gleam brighter as the sun reflected off of their concrete and steel surfaces. As Karin stared in wonder at the glorious change the sun brought at her surroundings, she glanced at Toshiro and had to stifle a gasp as her heat began to race.

The brilliance of him in full sunlight was breathtaking. The light seemed to conform to his figure, drawing out the color in his skin and painting his eyes a deeper, richer shade of turquoise, now complimented by an undertone of aquamarine. His hair was a dazzling, snowy white as opposed to the blank tone it had been before, and stray strands of it caught in the sunlight shone vividly. Apparently unaware of her examination of him, Toshiro looked skyward once more, his hard expression stiffening at the exposure to the light. His lips tugged downward, sharpening his serious frown. But still he remained wordless, a fact which both amazed and perturbed Karin. How could he not be moved by the beauty around him? Perhaps he didn't notice? Determined to strike up a conversation Karin decided to speak, half worried that he would ignore her.

"It's beautiful here." She ventured, and to her surprise the wait for him to answer this time took only seconds.

"Yeah. Beautiful." His bored voice floated over to her, hitting her with a wall of disappointment. She flicked her eyes towards him and her heart jumped to find him looking at her out of the corner of his eye. The fierce, falcon-like glare captured her gaze, mystifying her with its complexity and closely-guarded emotions. There were unreadable secrets there, tantalizing and numerous, but the overlying hostility of his gaze was too great to overcome. Toshiro refused to look away and Karin felt herself immobilized by the intensity of expression. Finally she was release as he shifted his eyes away. Karin began to breathe again, feeling heat rising up her cheeks. She hurriedly looked away, embarrassed, and saw the forgotten bag of chocolates lying on its side. An idea instantly formed in her mind. Karin shot out a hand and retrieved a sizeable bag of chocolates, then hesitated.

What if he didn't like them? What if he was only sitting beside her for lack of a better option? Doubtful now of his intentions, Karin closed her eyes shut and mentally studied the sideways look he had given her. It was so withdrawn, so challenging, and yet… She deeply analyzed his expression, searching for something she didn't dare hope to find. And yet her mind seemed to pick it out of the depths of his frigid eyes: fear. Instantly it snapped in her mind. What she had previously taken for unfriendliness was, to the best of her knowledge, fear. As she further explored the possibility the more likely it seemed to be. Why he was being so taciturn and distant, and the reason he was avoiding her gaze… was it because he was afraid of something? Karin opened her eyes and stared down at the package that she held in her hands, rolling over her conjecture in her mind. It seemed very likely that she was right, but if she wasn't, and he was just being anti-social, then imposing her presence on him wasn't right.

Making up her mind on a course of action, she prepared for what she was about to do. Heartbeat hammering in her chest, Karin turned her torso towards the young Shinigami, who appeared to be enjoying a particularly strong gust of wind. "Toshiro," She ventured. Her adrenaline spiked as he locked eyes with her again, and to her surprise this time the hard outer layer of opposition was gone, leaving in its place a tentative, softer look. Karin smiled falteringly and held out the bag with both hands, not daring to look away now that she was this far in. "This is for you." For a heart stopping second she thought he wasn't going to take the gift, then his gaze dropped slowly to the chocolates, then returned to her face as if to scrutinize her expression for a hidden motive. Lightly concealed surprise was written for an instant in his wide turquoise eyes as he slowly took it from her hand, fingers brushing lightly against her skin. She bit her lip; he was freezing, as if he had just taken his hands out of a block of ice.

Toshiro wordlessly examined the package, his expression one of poorly-hidden curiosity as he viewed it from all angles. Karin was helpless to suppress a giggle as the white-haired boy sniffed it carefully in a display that reminded her all too well of a dog. Toshiro opened the wrappings with deft motions and stared at the contents within as if confused as to their purpose. Karin held her breath and knotted her fingers in the grass, her pulse ringing in her ears. Carefully, he took one out and narrowed his eyes, like he was trying to read a tiny message inscribed on its surface. Suddenly it struck Karin that her companion might not know what chocolate was. She didn't know much about Shinigami, but she ventured to guess that maybe they didn't celebrate Valentine's Day like Humans did.

"You eat it." She explained with a sympathetic smile, to which Toshiro shot an almost bemused glance her way. The guarded layer had completely vanished from his features, exposing a relaxed, uncertain, and almost awkward young man that she never knew existed. He looked back at the chocolate and after a moment of indecision took a bite and began to chew slowly, an expression of concentration coming over his face. His expression turned to a thoughtful one as he swallowed.

"It's good." Karin's pale features broke into a smile at the compliment, closing her eyes to further to gesture.

"I-" She never got to finish. Soft, cold lips pressed tentatively onto her own, and suddenly she couldn't breathe. In the next moment a flash fire of torrential emotions roared through her body. Her heartbeat exploded into a jerky gallop, pumping wild adrenaline through her veins and exciting her senses, forcing them to become hyperaware. _He was kissing her, actually kissing her. _Their skin brushed as Toshiro gently kissed her again and Karin's blood pounded in her temples. The kiss wasn't too rough or aggressive; it was kind, respectful, but Karin could feel his lips trembling with restraint. A pang of sympathy shot through Karin as she realized he was still uncertain of his actions, and she decided to reassure him. Acting more out of instinct than anything else she reached up and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer and kissing him back. With a jolt she felt him stiffen as she returned his affection, but he slowly relaxed as she deepened the kiss and drew slow, calming circles with her fingers on the nape of his neck.

Just then her stomach growled, completely destroying the moment. Karin broke the kiss a little too quickly and reflexively put a hand on her stomach, a mixture of guilt and embarrassment present on her visage. She then became aware of an acute burning on her face and realized that she was completely red, and as she looked, Toshiro's face flushed a bright shade of red. An awkward pause ensured and neither knew what to say to fill the gap their tender embrace had previously done.

"Are you hungry?" Karin could hear the venturing warble in his voice, but his composure had been all but regained, leaving her feeling foolish as she waited for the flame on her cheeks to die out.

"Huh?" She mentally cursed herself for her reaction, but she was so flustered she couldn't help it. Toshiro had just _kissed_ her, for goodness's sakes!

"Your stomach growled." Karin could discern a little emotion from his tone now; whether that was because she had grown used to his way of speaking or if he was deliberately letting her hear his feelings was beyond her, but she was glad either way. She half-smiled, noting with joy that his eyes, which only minutes ago were so icy and discerning, were now showing the softest glow of warmth. He turned his head and nodded to something outside of the park. "Do you want to go there?" Karin followed his gaze and – she almost laughed – it rested on the little café she had been gazing at so longingly before.

"Yeah." As she turned her head their eyes locked, and Karin could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile dance on the corners of Toshiro's lips. He stood first and took her hand; he didn't feel so cold now. Without breaking gazes Karin rose to her feet, the large bag containing all of her leftover chocolate now abandoned at her feet. For a few moments there was nothing they wanted more than to simply gaze into each others' eyes; no matter how awkward the expression seemed, at least it was sincere. Together they turned towards the corner café and as they walked across the damp grass, neither one let go of the other's hand.


End file.
